Deputy Commander of United States Central Command Lieutenant General Charles Brown has stressed that the army should be “the sole defender of Lebanon" during a visit to Lebanon this week, the U.S. Embassy said.
During his visit, Brown met with President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Defense Minister Yaacoub al-Sarraf and Army Commander General Joseph Aoun to "reaffirm the U.S. government’s commitment to the Lebanese-American partnership and support the Lebanese Armed Forces in their capacity as the sole defender of Lebanon," the Embassy said in a statement.